The Men Who Stare at Goats

I had high expectations of this film because of actors such as George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges and I was not disappointed. The story follows a broken hearted journalist (McGregor) who goes to Iraq to prove his bravery to his ex wife. There he meets a "psychic" soldier (Clooney) trained by a hippie instructor (Bridges) and he reveals the existence of a secret, psychic military unit whose goal is to use paranormal powers to end war. The film is light-hearted and very entertaining and provides some relief from the large scale movies which have been shown about Iraq and Afghanistan. The actors are clearly enjoying themselves. Clooney displays some natural comic timing, while Spacey is a cheerful, cheeky villain. Directed by Grant Heslov, the film moves quickly with good script . . . and could be on the fast track for an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.